the Pumpkin Queen
by happychaos
Summary: mere days before Jack and Sally's wedding, Oogie Boogie makes a comeback and kidnaps Sally. When a beautiful detective comes in to help solve the case, will Jack's resolution waver? (-not- 'another woman' fic)
1. Skeleton Love

The Pumpkin Queen  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*hello~hello! This is chapter one, of what hopefully will be an enjoyable fic. This chapter is kind of.lacking in action, but I promise right after this things get exciting! See you in the pumpkin patch, and don't forget to review!*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Sally hummed happily to herself, stitching her wedding dress thread by thread. She was the best seamstress in the entire town; no one matched her ability with the needle. Even though Jack promised her he'd send it out if she wanted, Sally had decided to make it herself. She liked it better that way; she had more control over it, she contributed more to its beauty.  
  
Since she couldn't wear it and sew at the same time, Dr. Finklestein has supplied a mold of her body. The dress was fitted over it now, and it was spectacular. Blacker than the darkest, stormiest night and set with trim as orange as the ripest pumpkin. A gown fit for a queen. And a queen would wear it. As soon as she was married to Jack; Sally would be the Pumpkin Queen.  
  
"Oh!" was her exclamation of surprise. She had pricked her finger with the needle, and a little bit of stuffing had spilled out. Sighing she stuffed it back in and nimbly sewed it back up. She had doubts, lots of them, about being a queen, the first ever female sovereign of Halloween Town. She didn't even resemble a queen; she was pretty rather than beautiful, sweet rather than diplomatic. Sally heard Jack's light steps overhead and smiled, tucking her fears away. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was her love for that skeleton.  
  
Up stairs, Jack paced. It was always what he did when faced with a problem his bony brain couldn't dream up a solution too. His situation was this: Jack had many admirers, many fans. Friends however, were a rare commodity. Sally and Zero, essentially, were his only friends. He needed someone to be his best man, someone to be up there with him when he promised his life to Sally's.someone wise, someone kind.the answer that came was so obvious, he nearly kicked himself for not thinking of it before. Of course! Sandy Claws!  
  
He hurried his way down stairs, singing Christmas carols under his breath. When Sally heard him clamoring his way down, she quickly put the dress away (bad luck for the groom to see, you know) and took out Jack's tuxedo. "Jack, come try this on!" she said, and he obliged happily, stepping behind a screen and stripping away his normal pin stripe suit. As he put the tux on, he called out to Sally: "Now, my dear, how many children do you want to have?" The rag doll blushed deeply, and answered in a soft voice. "Three" "Three?" echoed Jack from behind the screen. "Why three?" "A boy, and two girls. Twins. I hope," she said, smiling as she imagined the young skeleton, a vision of Jack and two little girls like herself.  
  
"Well." he said, finally stepping out into the open. His slender form that was always somehow sensual looked even more so in the black and orange tuxedo. He was impressive, powerful.he looked like the King Sally always pictured him as.for a moment she was doubtful of her abilities to stand by this man, but then he continued speaking "I think that can be arranged!"  
  
With a lecherous wink, he held his arms out to her and Sally gladly fell into them. He kissed her once, deeply, and then hung an elongated arm around her waist. "I have to go away, just for a day or two. I'm going to invite Mr. Claws to our wedding. I need a best man." finished Jack, almost sheepishly. An apologetic grin was on his face, and Sally decided to twist this for all it was worth.  
  
"Oh, dear, well if you're going to be away for a few days maybe I'll introduce myself to that new vampire!" Unlike the other slightly frightening, mostly comical bloodsuckers this one was tall, dark, and handsome. Jack frowned, and mocked outrage. "How can I trust you to be faithful with all these charming demons running amuck? I'll have to." Here his grin turned falsely evil, an engaging light in his eyes "Expose of them!" Sally giggled and nodded, Jack smiled and caught her up again in a bony kiss.  
  
Sally immediately sobered. "Miss you..." she murmured into his tuxedo lapels. He laid a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I'll miss you, too. However, the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back! And the sooner we can get married!" He quickly changed back into his pin stripe suit and gave Sally a final hug.  
  
"Hurry back, laddie-me-love! Or I really will go see that new vampire!" Jack laughed and sprang down the path, waving merrily. "Wait!" cried Sally. "I almost forgot!" She tossed three small packages at Jack, who caught them deftly. "Drop these off for Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They're in the ceremony, and those are they're clothes!" Jack nodded. "Alright! I'll be back soon!" He blew her a kiss and then was out of sight.  
  
Sally blew a soft, bittersweet sight and got back to work, her gentle humming stronger. 


	2. Kidnap the Pumpkin Queen

The Pumpkin Queen  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*hello~hello! I haven't sent this off to my editor yet, so this chapter is liable to change. It's darker than the previous part, and the plot develops! No more Jack and Sally fluff.sigh.Meet you behind the Cyclops's eye, and don't forget to review!*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
The Boogieman's henchmen (and girl) were busy discovering the noisiest way to kill a bug. They were on firing a canon filled with cheese and empty mayonnaise jars towards the innocent insect when Jack approached them. "Jack! Jack!" they cried and tumbled tumultuously toward the skeleton. Jack laughed and gave them the bags.  
  
"What is it! What is it!" Lock shrieked. Jack resisted the urge to cover his ears and forced a grin. "Open it and see" They all tore noisily into the paper covering and awed. Lock held her dark green gown to her shoulders and twirled around, and the others tore of their shirts and threw the handsome jackets over them. They all twirled around, delighted and utterly conceited about their appearances.  
  
"Look at me!"  
  
"Look at me!"  
  
"Look at -me-!"  
  
Jack clapped his hands in an appraising manner, causing them to stop twirling and sit, panting and happily out of breath. "You all look terrible! Take good care of those clothes and if they don't fit right, remember to take them to Sally!" Upon mention of his fiancée all three began making kissy noises. Jack rolled his eyes and continued on his way down the path, flapping a hand as a farewell.  
  
Barrel kicked his heels together and ran madly in a semi circle, crowing about his booty-full suit. Shock stuck out a foot and he fell hard on the ground. Lock laughed hysterically and together they made their way down into their fortress, where Oogie Boogie's lair had once been. Dancing and laughing and snarling at each other, they whirled and pranced right past the gaping black mouth, that had been stuffed with Boogie's very own burlap sack being and then boarded with planks of wood when they heard of his demise. In their frolicking they didn't notice the board was gone.  
  
When they got to the desired layer, they stripped off the rest of their costumes and donned their wedding apparel. Lock twirled in front of a cracked and dusty mirror, admiring the way the skirt spun out. They rarely got new clothes, so these were a treat, even for the boys.  
  
"BOYS!" suddenly cried a deep, angry voice. They all stopped, dead still, and were afraid to even look at each other. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Shock spoke, his thin voice wavering as he did so. "We're playing! G'away!" The menacing voice did not get louder, but rather softer and more sinister ".what?" The trick-or-treaters clumped together, all attempting and failing miserably to hide underneath each other.  
  
"My soldiers have been.unfaithful" hissed the voice, and their knees began knocking. "You're dead! Jack got rid of you! GO AWAY!" Oogie Boogie laughed maniacally. "Did you really think you could destroy the boogie man? I live in the dark places in human's souls! I'm indestructible!" His laughed crescdendoed until it was all they could hear, the horrible mocking sound. It surrounded them and melted the last of their wavering loyalty to Jack.  
  
Sighing, Shock asked "What do you want?" To which the Boogey man replied. "To make Jack as miserable as he made me! I want." They all leaned forward in helpless, morbid anticipation, wearing clothes made by the skeleton man's love, invitations to their wedding on the dusty floor. Their candy- corn hearts trembled and they feared what he was going to say more than anything. 'Oh please, oh please' they prayed to their crooked Pumpkin spirit 'anything, anyone but...' "Sally. I want the girl!" 


End file.
